Second Chance
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: True love never dies. Tony/Maria


_**A/N: Hello all. I wrote this story a couple years ago before I was any good in writing. I recently decided to scrap the old version and start anew. This is the new version of my old story. I hope you enjoy it!

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He was surrounded by total and complete darkness. He couldn't see a thing. He couldn't hear a thing except for a soft thumping echoing around him.

It felt like he was floating. He kept trying to search around for something to plant his feet on but there was only air. Space filled with nothingness.

He also felt weightless, like a feather, floating on a breeze. He was being whisked through the darkness only he couldn't really tell he was because there was no indication that he could see that he was moving. There was nothing blurry or fuzzy, it was just stone, cold black.

Even through the darkness he could feel himself reaching out. Reaching out for what though? He knew there was nothing out there. He had nothing to reach out for. Did he?

All that he knew was that he wanted to get out of there. He was beginning to get a little frustrated. He had been in the total darkness for what seemed like ever. He didn't remember ever being out of the darkness.

He concentrated harder and could almost feel a breeze against him. The first indication that he was moving.

Then he collided with something. Hard. He could feel himself falling backwards and thought he'd be falling into the never ending darkness but he hit something solid. It almost felt soft.

Just as he beginning to feel relieved about his new findings, a searing pain ripped through his abdomen. He cried out and his cries echoed throughout the blackness and then eventually faded into nothing.

Where was the pain coming from? He wondered. He had never felt it before. He had never felt anything before. But he could feel the pain now. He could feel the weight of his body again. He tried to move, to do anything to ease the pain agonizing him but he couldn't move. It was like he was glued to the spot. He struggled and tried to move his body but that only seemed to be making his pain worse.

The faint thumping noise he had heard before was now louder, stronger and faster. It continued its pace as the pain continued to increase. He cried out again but the sound was barely a whisper.

Small flashes of light began to surround him. He was momentarily distracted by the lights and as he continued to watch them, his pain diminished slowly. The thumping sound started to slow down as well as more and more light began to flood the darkness. He couldn't see much, only instead of black there was white.

Then he began to see things. Little flashes of different colors that made up objects. A wall. A dresser. A door. Then it'd disappear to black again.

A few seconds later he'd see the flashes again. It was fuzzy but he was definitely able to make everything out.

Then finally the flashes stopped. His vision was fully focused on what was in front of him. A white wall with a wooden chair rail, a wooden door and a wooden dresser.

He blinked and realized that he'd been asleep the whole time. The darkness had just been a never ending dream. And now he had a woken to a strange place.

Or was it strange? Perhaps he knew this place. He surely didn't recognize it. He didn't recognize anything though. He didn't even know who he was. He searched for a name, a place, a face, anything he could remember but there was nothing.

Then he felt the pain. It wasn't as bad as it was when he was in the darkness. In fact he only felt a few really bad twinges here and there followed by a dull ache that was only mildly uncomfortable.

He found he could move his body again and turned his head to the side. He was met with a blank wall. He slowly turned towards the other side, the pain in his neck hurting more than that in his abdomen. On the other side was a window and the light stung his eyes.

Where on Earth was he?

"Mama!" His ears picked up on a young woman's voice. "Mama he is awake!"

He turned his head away from the window and his eyes settled on a young woman around the age of twelve. She was standing on the other side of bed post, holding onto the wood and grinning at him with a bright smile. She had jet black hair that fell to just past her shoulders and was dressed in a blue and white dress and there was a white ribbon in her hair.

"Hello." She greeted him warmly.

He felt a tremendous wave of confusion wash over him. Should he know this girl? If not, why was she smiling like that at him?

The girl's pretty smile fell and she scurried over to stand next to his beside. His eyes followed her in confused silence.

"My apologies sir." She curtsied and then looked up at him shyly. "I'm being very rude. My name is Carolyn Jane Valacari."

He only blinked at her in response. He didn't know what to say to that. He might have told her his name if he knew it. He felt so helpless not even knowing his own name.

He heard the door opening and an older woman's voice. "Oh don't bother the boy Carolyn."

He looked up and his eyes set on the owner of the voice. The woman was very beautiful, her hair the same color as Carolyn's and tied up into a bun on the back of her head. She was dressed in a fancy green dress and he knew immediately the woman was wealthy.

"Sorry mother." Carolyn whispered shamefully and retreated to stand behind her mother.

The older woman smiled warmly at him and approached him slowly. "Hello dear. I am sorry if my daughter alarmed you. She just loves to meet new people."

She gently reached out and placed her hand over his. He looked down at their hands and was alarmed to see her white hand seemed tan against his. His was almost as white as the sheet it laid on.

He looked up at her and meant to ask her what had happened and where he was but when he opened his mouth to speak no words would come out. He shut his mouth after a few seconds of trying and furrowed his brow.

"You can't speak?" The woman asked him, looking generally concerned.

He swallowed and found his throat to be raw and dry and incredibly sore. He shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes on her.

"Oh dear." She whispered to herself and looked around the room.

"Carolyn dear will you get fetch a pitcher of water for our guest?" The woman requested of her daughter.

Carolyn curtsied. "Right away mother." She scurried out of the room and the woman turned back to him with a smile.

"Perhaps some water will do you good. You have been through quite a lot from what I gather."

He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Do you remember anything?" She prompted him and he shook his head again.

The woman let out a sad sigh and rubbed her thumb against his hand. "I'm sure it will come to you. The doctor said you might have some amnesia but it might only be temporary."

He only continued to blink at her. How badly he wanted to speak and find out what exactly had happened to him. What caused the pain in his abdomen and where was he?

After several more moments of silence, Carolyn gave back in with a pitched of water and a glass.

"Thank you dearest." The woman thanked her as Carolyn handed her the water. The woman rose off of the bed and walked over to the small table beside his bed. She poured the water into the glass and handed it to him.

He struggled a little bit to sit up but once he did he took a sip of the water. It felt cold and refreshing running down his raw throat. After nearly sipping down the entire glass, he pulled it away from his lips and held it in his hands.

He licked his lips, cleared his throat and looked up at the woman. "Thank you." His voice was raspy so he could not even recognize it. He wasn't sure that even if it was normal he'd be able to recognize it.

The woman's face lit up, as did Carolyn's at his speaking.

"You're quite welcome." The woman nodded politely.

"Where am I?" His hoarse voice asked her. The woman set down the pitcher of water and moved to sit down next to him on his bedside.

"You are at my husband's estate. The Valacari estate in East Hampton." She explained and at seeing his blank stare continued, "On Long Island, New York."

He wracked through his brain trying to remember. Did he always live on Long Island? Did he always live in New York? Was he part of this family?

"Have I..." He paused for a second and then continued. "Do I live here?"

"You do now." The woman answered. "Or at least only until you remember where you come from."

"You don't know?" He questioned.

The woman shook her head dejectedly. "I'm afraid not. I was hoping that you'd know."

"I don't know anything." He whispered, moving his head to stare down at the white sheets.

"Can you tell me your name?"

He shook his head slowly.

"It is worse than I thought." The woman whispered to herself although he clearly heard it. He glanced up at her sadly, longing to know anything about his past, even so much as his name.

The woman smiled at him sadly reaching over to place her soft hand on his face. "Don't worry dear, we'll soon find out who you are."

"What is your name?" He questioned her. If he were to be in the dark about himself he'd at least like to know the names of those around him

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh dear I beg your pardon I have not yet told you my name. My name is Vivienne Valacari."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Valacari."

Vivienne smiled and gave his hand a light squeeze. "Please dear, there is no need for formalities. You may call me Vivienne."

He shook his head, his response involuntary, "My mother always taught me to give respect to adults."

Vivienne looked shocked and glanced past her shoulder to Carolyn who was smiling. Vivienne looked back at him and smiled. "You remember your mother?"

He frowned. The response he gave was so natural, it was almost instinct. He scanned his brain to remember his mother but once again he came up with nothing. "No."

"Oh." Vivienne's face fell. "Well dear," she began with a sigh, "The doctor will be visiting tomorrow for his bi weekly check up. Maybe he will be able to provide some insight to your past life."

He nodded letting out a sigh of his own.

Vivienne rose from the bed. "I'm afraid I have some work of my own to do but I shall return in a few hours to see how you are. If you wish to have some company, Carolyn will stay with you."

He glanced at the young girl who was still smiling at him. He didn't know why but he felt immediately comforted by her smile. His lips twitched up in a smile of his own.

Vivienne smiled softly and headed towards the door.

He moved his body to get into a more comfortable position but as he did so a pain, more intense that what he had been feeling shot through his middle. He held his breath, closed his eyes and heard a woman's voice in his head.

"_Tony!" _

He opened his eyes and saw Vivienne and Carolyn both staring at him, concern written on their pretty faces.

"Are you alright?" Vivienne asked him.

He looked up, perplexed. He didn't recognize the voice nor remember why it had been said. But he felt like he did know the voice, very well. It seemed like the voice was addressing him.

"Tony." He said and the two ladies stared back at him, confused. "My name is Tony."


End file.
